WWE Rumors on Changes to Raw, Logan Paul's Next Feud and Gable Steveson's Training

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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WWE Possibly Exploring Big Changes for Raw

WWE reportedly may be biding its time before making some significant changes to its weekly flagship show Monday Night Raw.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is waiting for its merger with UFC to become official before enacting those changes.

Meltzer noted that WWE has discussed "at least exploring major changes" to Raw, but the fact that the merger isn't yet official is holding things up.

In April, Endeavor Group Holdings announced that it purchased 51 percent of WWE and would merge it with another of its entities in UFC.

All signs suggest that it is a done deal and could be made official at any time, but the merger is still technically not set in stone yet.

Vince McMahon, who was WWE's longtime chairman, CEO and head of creative, is in line to be executive chairman over the entire operation, giving him say in both WWE and UFC.

It seems likely that most of his influence will be over WWE since he has been the driving force behind the company since purchasing it from his father in the 1980s.

Raw has long been viewed as WWE's top weekly show, but it has lagged behind SmackDown in ratings, likely due in large part to the fact that SmackDown airs on Fox, whereas Raw airs on a cable channel in USA Network.

Still, Raw's ratings have been up significantly this year compared to last, so it would be somewhat surprising to see sweeping changes.

WWE's television deals for Raw and SmackDown are set to expire next year, though, meaning the company may want to make some moves meant to make the shows even more attractive to interested parties.

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Logan Paul Reportedly May Feud with Brawling Brutes

Logan Paul is set to compete in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank premium live event in London on Saturday, but WWE is reportedly discussing plans for him coming out of the show as well.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), there are "rumblings" within WWE that Paul could feud with The Brawling Brutes after Money in the Bank.

Paul is perhaps the co-favorite to win the Money in the Bank ladder match along with LA Knight, but regardless of who comes out on top, it would make sense for WWE to position him for a big match at SummerSlam.

One year ago at SummerSlam, Paul made his in-ring singles debut, defeating The Miz in impressive fashion.

Paul has wrestled a handful of times since then, and he continues to show why he is one of the most natural celebrity-turned-wrestlers in recent memory.

Brawling Brutes member Butch is also set to compete in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, and if WWE wants to do something between Paul and the Brutes at SummerSlam, it would make sense for Paul and Butch to start a conflict at MITB.

One could potentially cost the other the Money in the Bank contract, or one of them could win it, and the other could try to take it from them leading up to SummerSlam.

Paul could have an entertaining match with any of the Brawling Brutes members in Butch, Sheamus or Ridge Holland, which may be why WWE is reportedly considering pairing them up in a rivalry.

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Steveson Reportedly Making Progress in WWE Training

Olympic gold medal-winning heavyweight wrestler Gable Steveson is reportedly coming along nicely in his pro wrestling training.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), people within WWE have said Steveson is "picking things up" well and could be "better than a lot of people originally thought."

Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 after winning an Olympic gold medal for Team USA, and while it was assumed he would become a major player for the company soon after, WWE has taken things slow with him.

One reason for that is the fact that Steveson underwent a heart ablation to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome before beginning his training last year.

Additionally, Steveson has stated his intention to train for and compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which has perhaps distracted from his WWE training to some degree as well.

Steveson made a handful of appearances on WWE's main roster, but it wasn't until recently that he began receiving regular television time as part of WWE's developmental system in NXT.

Over the past two weeks, Steveson has appeared on NXT to help prepare Eddy Thorpe for a match against Damon Kemp, who is Steveson's real-life brother.

Steveson has yet to compete in his first match, but WWE does seem to be building toward that by introducing him as a character in NXT.

It is unclear how his plans to compete in the Olympics will impact his standing in WWE, but the fact that he is on TV suggests that he is progressing in a way that WWE is satisfied with.

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